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A Chehalis man was taken into custody Thursday after allegedly leading a Washington State Patrol trooper on a chase that reached speeds of 85 miles per hour before crashing and winding up in a ditch.
Johnathon B. Walker, 28, was charged with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and driving under the influence. He was placed on a $15,000 cash bond during a hearing Friday afternoon.
According to a probable cause affidavit, on Thursday a WSP trooper was on patrol in an unspecified roadway in Lewis County, when he noted a driver, later identified as Walker, was driving without a seatbelt.
The trooper activated his cruiser’s emergency lights, “and the driver immediately accelerated,” read court documents.
The trooper gave chase and speeds reached 85 miles per hour in a marked 35 mile per hour zone. Walker also allegedly ran a stop sign at some point during the chase, which spanned a route unspecified in court documents.
Eventually, he lost control of the vehicle, running it into a ditch.
The trooper allegedly smelled alcohol on Walker as he was being placed under arrest. A portable breathalyzer test returned a result of 0.116. Two subsequent tests at the jail returned results of 0.089 and 0.090.
In Lewis County Superior Court Monday, deputy prosecutor Joel DeFazio argued Walker be placed on a $75,000 cash bond, citing the severity of the allegations.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller argued for a $25,000 unsecured bond, meaning Walker would be released from custody during his case as long as he appeared to future hearings and abided by certain guidelines. Tiller also said Walker was compliant with the trooper during the actual arrest process.
Judge James Lawler instead opted for a $15,000 cash bond.
Walker has an arraignment scheduled for Sept. 27.
